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Free Library of Philadelphia to Host Series on the Life and Work of Orson Welles
PHILADELPHIA, April 5, 2023—The Free Library of Philadelphia is excited to present an ambitious special lecture series examining the life and work of Orson Welles. The series, Orson Welles and the Golden Age of Hollywood, will consist of seven events exploring the legacy of the prolific actor, director, and producer. The first lecture, titled “Mr. Lucky: The Life of Orson Welles before Hollywood,” will be given by renowned biographer David Nasaw on April 12, 7:30 p.m., at the Parkway Central Library.
“Orson Welles was both a rebel and a genius who changed film and culture forever. We are proud to welcome some of America’s most respected critics, commentators, and historians to take a fresh look at the man and his legacy,” said Dick Levinson, Librarian 2 for the Free Library, who organized the lecture series.
All lectures will take place at the Free Library’s Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street, and begin at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and tickets are not necessary, but registration is recommended at Eventbrite. For more information visit the Free Library’s website.
The full series of events is as follows:
- Wednesday April 12, 2023| 7:30 p.m.
Mr. Lucky: The Life of Orson Welles Before Hollywood
David Nasaw, one of the nation’s most respected historians/biographers, explores the charmed life of Orson Welles from his boyhood through his incredible successes as a theater director and the founder of his own radio acting company (which scared America as never before with Welles' production of War of the Worlds). - Wednesday May 17, 2023| 7:30 p.m.
The City of Nets and Traps: The Hollywood That Orson Welles Discovered
Peter Decherney is a Professor of Cinema Studies and English at the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Director of the Cinema Studies Program and the Faculty Director of Penn’s Online Learning Initiative. His presentation will focus on the way that the Hollywood dream factory functioned at the time that Welles arrived. - Wednesday June 21, 2023| 7:30 p.m.
The Struggle to Make Citizen Kane
Michael Phillips is the Film Critic for the Chicago Tribune and has hosted a special retrospective showing of the greatest films of Orson Welles. This talk will highlight the intense struggle to make Citizen Kane against long odds. We now know that some of the executives at RKO hoped Welles would fail — and that the film crew included at least one spy who reported every mistake Welles made to the front office. This program is made possible through the support of The Lydia Eloise Seïbert Fund through the Free Library Foundation. - Wednesday July 19, 2023| 7:30 p.m.
The Genius Who Couldn't Do Anything Right
Ray Kelly was a journalist for nearly 40 years and ended his first career as the managing editor of the Springfield Republican. He is currently the owner and administrator of “Wellesnet,” the leading online source for information about the life and career of Orson Welles. Kelly picks up the story during the worst period in the life of this remarkable man. - Wednesday September 6, 2023| 7:30 p.m.
The Genius Who Made Legendary Films on a Shoestring
This program will be presented jointly by two individuals. Sam Adams is a senior editor at Slate and the editor of its cultural blog, Brow Beat. Meta Mazaj is a senior lecturer in Cinema Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She has published several books about World and Eastern European Cinema. Together, the two will evaluate some of the most important films of Welles’s middle period, like Touch of Evil and Chimes of Midnight. - Wednesday October 11, 2023| 7:30 p.m.
The Crusader for Social Justice
The noted actress and director Zuhairah McGill explores the commitment of Orson Welles to hiring gifted African-American actors for psychologically complex, multi-dimensional roles at a time when Hollywood was offering Black performers comic roles that were both insulting and humiliating. Welles also campaigned against hate speech and participated in an effort to bring law enforcement officials guilty of racist and criminal conduct to justice. - Wednesday October 18, 2023| 7:30 p.m.
The Legacy of Orson Welles
As a film critic for National Public Radio, Bob Mondello sees and comments on 300 films a year. Mondello was a new NPR employee at the time that Orson Welles died. Preparing an on-air obituary for Welles was one of Mondello’s first assignments for the network.
Welles fans can also join Penn’s Village and the Free Library of Philadelphia for Penn’s Village Presents, a free film series at the Philadelphia City Institute Library. Discussion will follow each screening. On the second Mondays of the month at 2:00 p.m. (with the exception of October which will be held on the first Monday), the series will explore the work of Orson Welles through a six-screening retrospective. The series will begin May 8 with Citizen Kane. Registration is not required and these films are free and open to the public.
04/05/2023
Department of External Affairs, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710, FAX (215) 567-7850